Capturing dust from sander for filler

[grbmds]

I have a reason to capture fine dust from the later stages of sanding with finer grits. I own the ETS125 REQ and the have the on-board sanding bag attachment that came with it (the cloth filter bag). I've done some brief testing but it would appear to me that I would need to do a huge amount of sanding to yield enough dust to make it worthwhile. Plus, there is the issue of trying to get it all out as I would guess some percent of it will stick to the inner walls of the bag.

Has anyone attempted to do this with success? Or is the effort so time consuming it isn't worth it?

For reference, I am doing some natural edge tables and want to use it to mix with epoxy to secure some of the checks in the wood. Has anyone used sawdust mixed with epoxy for this purpose?

 

[semenza]

By any chance do you have a Rotex? Or a belt sander with bag?  Those would produce the dust faster and you could just sand away on scraps from the same piece of wood. Maybe even make some cuts with the track saw with bag instead of vac.

Seth

 

[luvmytoolz]

A little dust mixed with glue on joints works quite well, but for checks I don't know if I'd go to that effort for not much gain that I can see. I think depending on the size you may be very disappointed, as the repair will likely look like a piece of MDF.

Myself I'd incorporate any faults as a feature and use a mica powder with epoxy resin and use that, it looks great once sanded and polished, and is really easy and quick.

Black coloured epoxy always looks sensational in cracks/checks I reckon, but copper also is a really good highlight.

Or there are the electric knot filler guns that also work great, but adds a bit of cost. Here the pro version is $595AUD:
https://hammerroo.com.au/collections/wood-repair/products/wood-repair-pro-kit

 

[Cheese]

Here ya go, this was collected from sanding teak outdoor furniture with an ETS & a DTS sander.

I did the same thing when sanding Brazilian cherry used to surround a maple floor.

Given Festool's dust collection efficiency, it doesn't take that long to collect a useable amount of dust particulate. Just vacuum the collection bag before you start collecting the samples.  [big grin]

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Here's a before & after of the teak furniture repair. I used Smith's epoxy mixed with the teak dust to effectuate the repair.

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And this is the result 1 year later after exposure to the elements.

[attachimg=4]

 

[grbmds]

By any chance do you have a Rotex? Or a belt sander with bag?  Those would produce the dust faster and you could just sand away on scraps from the same piece of wood. Maybe even make some cuts with the track saw with bag instead of vac.

Seth

I do have a Rotex. However, no collection bag . . . Do they sell collection bags for Rotex sanders? I wouldn't imagine they would since they produce so much dust I wouldn't even think of using without a vac. I still do have a belt sander though, I think with a bag. There won't be any scraps since these are slices off a log or stump.

 

[tsmi243]

Just vacuum the collection bag before you start collecting the samples.  [big grin]

I do that with the tracksaw bag.... I only use the bag when I'm out in the driveway, as a courtesy to neighbors.  When I'm done, I bring the bag in and use the boom hose to empty it thru the cyclone.  Just stick the hose in the opening, and shake a few times.  Done. 

 

[squall_line]

I do have a Rotex. However, no collection bag . . . Do they sell collection bags for Rotex sanders? I wouldn't imagine they would since they produce so much dust I wouldn't even think of using without a vac.

I don't know if the Rotex has a built-in fan or not.  I would imagine it would, given its size compared to the ETS/EC line, which is fanless and requires active collection.

I still do have a belt sander though, I think with a bag. There won't be any scraps since these are slices off a log or stump.

Surely you will at some point cut at least one piece to size for a project.

I saved most of the shavings and dust from when the sawyer milled my boards in my backyard, but it took 4 or 5 yard waste bags and I ended up using a lot of it as a soil amendment.  If you haven't finished milling the raw material yet, save the dust from the milling process.

Or sacrifice the worst piece for the cause.

Or if these will be tables at some point and you need to route channels for legs, or if you need to drill any threaded inserts, or if you need to thickness plane them...